PSYCHOPATHS IN FACT & FICTION
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Silence of the Lambs - Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)

Picture
Hopkins is one of my all time favourite actors and he does not disappoint in what must be his most famous role. His chilling portrayal of an intellectual psychopath who toys with Jodie's Foster's newly minted FBI agent, Clarice Starling, is a cinema classic.
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The film is considered 'culturally, historically or aesthetically significant' by the US Library of Congress and is preserved in the national archives.

'Lambs' was the third film to win Oscars in all top five categories: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. I am not a great fan of the Oscar fiasco as it is a nepotistic process dominated by old geezers from Hollywood's major studios - but in this case they were right!

The storyline revolves around Hannibal's participation in the hunt for another psychopath who happens to be psychotic too - Buffalo Bill is modelled on Ed Gein and acquired his nickname from his habit of 'skinning his humps.'

Lecter is enticed by Starling to help in the hunt and although Buffalo Bill is a much less interesting or nuanced character than Hannibal, his role cleverly weaves the paths of Starling and the urbane serial killer together in a dark, frightening and highly suspenseful way.

Verdict:

Hopkins is brilliant as Lecter and this movie contrasts an urbane psychopath with the psychotic version portrayed by Buffalo Bill: Lecter is all the more frightening because he not only could pass for one of us, his skills and intellect would put him near the top of the human food chain...

Additional notes:

The screenplay was based on the Thomas Harris novel of the same title, the second of two featuring Dr Lecter. Hopkins later reprised the role in a remake of an earlier screen adaptation of Harris's first Lecter novel, Manhunter.

Classic Quote:
"A census taker once tried to test me...
I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti..."


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For Fans of Thriller, Suspense and Crime Fiction, and similar Movies - with loads of True Crime including info on real life psychopaths too. If you like to curl up with a good psychopath in print or on screen then welcome! If you are researching psychopaths this is a good place to start. If you are a published author and would like to feature your own book details or include excerpts from your work, or you blog your reviews then let us know. All images and video clips used on this site are purely for educational and promotional purposes and used under the fair use policy. If you own the copyright to any material here and object to having it appear on this site then please use the contact form to notify the webmaster. All original material is copyright Will Patching and should not be copied or posted elsewhere without attribution and links to this site. Thank you! Links from this site include Amazon Associate and Google Adsense advertisements accruing income for the benefit of the author. Read the site Privacy Policy here.
  • Home
  • Chameleons
    • Why Care?
    • Guilt
    • Identifying
    • Psychotic vs Psychopathic
    • Are Psychopaths Evil?
    • The Psychopath's Brain
  • Criminal Psychopath Quotes
  • Psychopath movies & quotes
    • Movie Sexy Beast
    • Movie Leon The Professional
    • Movie There Will Be Blood
    • Movie Se7en
    • Silence of the Lambs
    • Movie Reservoir Dogs
    • Movie The Talented Mr. Ripley
    • Movie Collateral
    • Movie Kalifornia
    • Movie Heat
    • Movie Primal Fear
    • Movie Fargo
    • Movie Mr Brooks
    • Movie Misery
    • Movie Fatal Attraction
    • Movie Basic Instinct
    • Movie Malice
    • Movie Cape Fear
    • Movie Monster
    • Movie Road to Perdition
  • Mass Murder
  • Videos
    • Criminal psychopaths
    • Non-criminal psychopaths
    • Childhood traits
  • Gurus
  • Spouses
  • Psychopaths in Novels
    • Novels - Robin Roughley
    • Novels - Maggie James
    • Novels - Catherine Lee
    • Novels - Tracy Tonkinson
    • Novels - Chariss K. Walker
    • The Remorseless Trilogy
    • The Hack Trilogy
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Author Template
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy